Supporters of NEST, Novell Inc’s Embedded Systems Technology, have been demonstrating the first products to use the real-time operating system, but at least one heavyweight in the facsimile software market – Delrina Corp – is not planning to adopt the technology because it feels that the underlying concept is flawed. The demonstrations took place at the Business Technology Expo in Las Vegas: Canon Inc, Cheyenne Software Inc and Ricoh Co Ltd demonstrated facsimile systems that have been enhanced with the Novell system, while Digital Products, QMS Inc and SerComm all showed network printing systems that incorporated the technology. The fact that Delrina has no plans to adopt the technology must come as a blow to Novell, particularly since Delrina has just bought Intel Corp’s NET SatisFAXtion software, which is specifically for IPX-based networks. Delrina’s reasoning, according to product manager Dave Wilmering, is that users will resent paying extra for the ability to have faxes routed across the network, which they believe should be included as standard – It’s like paying the Post Office to upgrade their system to handle the zip code, he said. However, Wilmering added that if the system proves itself in the market then the company will rethink its position.
